Saint Arnold Summer Pils takes gold at GABF

DENVER — Houston’s Saint Arnold Brewing Co. won a first-place gold medal today at the Great American Beer Festival here.

It was one of four medals, including two golds, awarded to Texas brewers.

“It’s a great weight around your neck,” said Saint Arnold founder Brock Wagner.

The company won in the Munich-style Helles category for its Summer Pils that was bottled in July.

The Pils won a silver medal in 2008.

Also winning medals Saturday were the Austin brewpub Uncle Billy’s, which won gold in the kellerbier category for Hell In Keller, and the Covey Restaurant & Brewpub. The Fort Worth-based brewer won silver medals in the German-style wheat ale and Belgian-style specialty ale categories.

More than 3,300 beers from 495 breweries were judged in 78 categories.

Saint Arnold, a 15-year-old brewery, last won gold at GABF for its Fancy Lawnmower in 2007.

Congrats to Saint Arnold and Uncle Billy’s on their GABF gold medals. I stopped by Uncle Billy’s today before driving back from a quick weekend visit to Austin. The Uncle Billy’s crew were celebrating their newly-awarded medal for sure. Their award-winning kellerbier is not currently on, but I do recommend their two special taps right now: a hoppy copper-colored ale called “Hoptoberfest”, and a smoky black lager called “Thick Black Smoke” that pairs especially well with a plate of their tasty barbeque.